PAYSON ROUNDUP
INSIDE Around the Rim 4B-5B Classifieds 6B-9B
OUTDOORS
section
B
Friday, June 3, 2016
Hike leads to underground, limestone wonderland Three-mile trek leads to Preacher Canyon Cave by
Connie Cockrell
hike columnist
Are you afraid of noisome holes with worm ends hanging out? This is not a nice dry hobbit hole. Oh no. More than 20 of us gathered at our usual time to leave the Stage parking lot and caravan east on Highway 260 to Tonto Village to see a natural curiosity — an honest to goodness living cave. Of course, we couldn’t just get out of the cars and walk into the cave. That wouldn’t be much of a hike at all. So after parking just past Tonto Village, we began our walk through the ponderosa pines to the cave. Weekend rain had left big puddles for us to skirt on the road, despite the bright, cool sunlight. The forest here has had some clearing done, so much of our walk was through open forest. About a quarter mile into the hike, a branch of the road goes off to the left, we stayed to the right. To be honest, the approximately three-mile walk to the cave site is not very exciting, at least not in April. Later there will be flowers and perhaps in groups smaller than ours, wildlife could be spotted. One cool item was a downed tree trunk with insect tracks all through the surface of the wood. After about three miles we reached a clearing with cairns on the right, uphill side, at GPS 34 17.825N, 111 10.188W. We looked up the hill to our right to see two large dead trees standing about 400 feet away. We bushwhacked uphill, aiming for the right-hand-most of the two large dead trees. There is a bit of a usage trail to follow. The entrance to the cave is in a small depression about 15 feet southwest (and slightly downhill from) the big dead tree, at GPS coordinates: 34 17.875N, 111 10.243W. The people who had decided to brave the cold and dark came prepared. They dug warm clothing, knee pads, head lamps, and head protection out of their packs and dressed for the descent. A handful of us, myself included, decided to stay outside in the sunshine. The cavers entered the cave by either crawling or butt-scooting into the low opening. After about 20 feet, the slide down ends and the cave room opens up so that the caver has room to stand and explore. Several rooms have easy access, with a pool of water in the back of the cave. The cave does have stalagmites and stalactites though unfortunately many have been broken off, probably as a result of heedless and destructive hikers and cavers. The rock floors are muddy, slippery and wet. Gloves are a very good idea. After the cavers came back into the light, they had a chance to eat their snack and warm up in the sun before we hiked back to the cars. One nice thing, on the road, just before going off up the hill to the cave, many of the C Group hikers in the past have found Payson Diamonds — really brilliant quartz crystals. We all kept an eye out and one of our group did find a small one. While there were no worm-ends, we all had a good time on a lovely spring day.
Preacher Canyon Trailhead: From Payson, drive Highway 260 to mile marker 266.8 and turn left where the sign says Control Road & Tonto Village. Go 1.6 miles to dirt road on left, (just before yellow sign says: Curves Mountain Grades Next 12 Miles), pull in and park at GPS 34 19.084N, 111 8.536W. Distance: Approximately 6.3 miles round trip. Regular cars are OK. Recommend long pants for inside the cave. Difficulty: Easy. Rocky road walk has long sloping hills. Highlights: Pleasant, easy walk through the open forest then wet, muddy trip into a living cave.
Randy Wilfong took these wonderful photos of the hike to the Preacher Canyon limestone cave near Christopher Creek. The Payson Packers braved the puddles, then crawled around underground. The cave includes formations from the drip of water loaded with dissolved limestone and a pool in the back of the still living cave. At right, beetle grubs left these tunnels.
Ambitious anglers urged to take up the Arizona Challenge The Arizona Game and Fish This challenge offers a much greater Department has an interesting challenge number of locations to catch trout. It for trout fishermen in Arizona. The pur- includes a brand new trout to Arizona, pose of this challenge is to encourage the tiger trout — which is a hybrid anglers to visit some new fishing loca- cross between a brown trout and brook tions and try to catch trout that they may trout introduced into four lakes this year. not have caught before all across the Look for them in Becker, Carnero, Woods state. There are actually two Canyon and Willow Springs challenge opportunities: lakes. Another fish on this LIFE on Catch all five species of list, the grayling, is technically not a trout, but a close wild trout in Arizona — Gila, the FLY relative. It is a beautiful fish Apache, Brown, Brook and whose native range includes Rainbow. Alaska and Canada. It typiThe trout in this first cally prefers alpine climates. challenge are typically going It is often stocked in Lee to be found in more remote Valley Reservoir in the White streams, rivers or lakes. Mountains when conditions Even though brown, brook allow. and rainbow trout are not JIM STROGEN Each of these challengnative to Arizona, there are Fishing Columnist es can be completed while populations of all three species from stockings decades practicing catch and release, ago that have resulted in wild, natural- since your proof that you caught a particly reproducing populations. The current ular species as part of the challenge is a strains of rainbow trout stocked each photo. You will need to submit an appliyear cannot reproduce to avoid acciden- cation along with your photos. The applitally taking over a body of water where cation and rules are able to be dowloaded native populations of trout or other fish from the azgfd.gov website. According to species exist. the application form: “Successful anglers Catch six of the eight total species will receive a certificate with color imagof trout in Arizona (including hatch- es of each of the species they caught and ery-raised trout) — Gila, Apache, Brown, submitted for the challenge. Anglers are Brook, Rainbow, Cutthroat, Tiger and eligible to receive both the Wild Trout Grayling. Challenge Certificate and the Arizona
Trout Certificate, however, all fish submitted for the second challenge must be submitted from different waters in Arizona.” The Trout Challenge link on the website lists the waters where you can catch the various species of trout for each challenge. The Where to Fish in Arizona link
on the website may be useful to you in identifying fishing locations, as might the maps that appear when you click on the name of a stream or lake on the Summer Trout. Stocking schedule: Some of the waters on the Trout Challenge link are not listed on either the Where to Fish in Arizona
or the Summer Trout Stocking links because these waters are neither easily accessible, nor stocked with trout; and only have wild trout populations in them. These remote, wild populations are treasures, so be sure to treat any fish you catch with great care and release them quickly. If you cannot locate a particular fishing location as part of the Trout Challenge, I would suggest contacting the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The main office number is 602-942-3000. Region VI, which is our region, can be reached at 480-981-9400. I have enjoyed catching many species of trout all across the country. It is a real treat to have the chance to catch a Gila or Apache trout in Arizona. These two species of trout are only found in the Southwest and are being stocked into various waters in Arizona as part of an effort to restore these trout listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act to waters that they historically inhabited. In addition, they are being stocked into other waters in the state for recreational use. This is possible because of increasing success in raising these trout in the few hatcheries that specialize in their rearing. So, are you interested in a fishing challenge? Have fun exploring some great waters throughout Arizona in pursuit of some beautiful trout.